


Pregnant, Not Dying

by vassalady



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, Pregnancy, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-19
Updated: 2012-06-19
Packaged: 2017-11-08 02:16:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/438030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vassalady/pseuds/vassalady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha's pregnant, and Steve is overdoing it with the protective father-to-be mode. She might find it a little cute, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pregnant, Not Dying

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr, prompted by an anon: "Steve/Natasha....Overprotective steve to a pregnant Natasha?(: "

She punched the bag, working up a steady rhythm. When she began to sweat, she changed the pattern. She shifted her stance. She envisioned the punching bag as an opponent. He was planning a left strike. She jabbed from below. An attack from the right. She blocked, then countered. A high attack. Natasha dropped down and swung out a leg.

"Natasha!"

She kept up the exercise. In a real battle, she couldn't allow for any distractions.

"Natasha!" Steve said again.

After a jab to the imaginary sternum, followed by a blow to the neck, she stopped. Steve strode over and caught the bag.

"What are you doing?" Steve crossed his arms, glaring. "You should be taking it easy! You agreed to stop training."

Natasha picked up her towel to wipe her face. "I've cut my training by 20 percent. That's all I agreed to."

"This kind of activity isn't good for the baby." Natasha rose her eyebrow at Steve. He reddened and approached her. "I'm worried about you. I have a right to be." He wrapped his arms around her.

His bare arms stuck on her sweaty skin, but she let him stay there. She patted his arm. "Honey, can you go get me some ice cream?"

This perked Steve up some, but he still looked worried. "You're done, right?"

Natasha sighed. "Yes, Steve, I'm done. Now I'm going to shower."

Steve followed her to the bathroom to make sure she was alright. After she had washed, he was waiting with the ice cream. It was half melted, and he apologized, saying he could scoop some more. But Natasha stopped him, ate a few bites, and then gave the rest to Steve. She wasn't interested in the ice cream; she had used it to shut him up about the training.

Steve didn't notice, though, and asked if he could get her anything else.

~~

"When will the baby show?" Clint asked as he chowed down on the peanut butter, pickle, and chip sandwich Steve had made for Natasha.

"Several weeks yet," she said. She popped a chip into her mouth that had fallen.

"Steve told me he could see it already."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "He's been saying that since I told him." She picked up another chip, but it was soggy with pickle juice. Clint eagerly snapped it out of her hands and ate it.

Clint finished the sandwich and licked his fingers. "So what was that with Tony the other day? I hear he and Steve got into a fight?"

Natasha snorted. "Stark was being his usual annoying self. Steve involved himself and ended up punching Stark in the jaw." She allowed herself a smirk. "That part I liked."

Clint whistled and rubbed his jaw. "Don't envy him. What exactly provoked that?"

"In Steve's words, Stark was causing me unnecessary stress."

This made Clint laugh. "Tony's existence causes you unnecessary stress."

Natasha shrugged a shoulder in agreement.

"Hey, get Steve to put more pickles on next time, okay?"

~~

Despite Steve going a bit overboard on trying to keep Natasha healthy, happy, and absolutely bored out of her mind, it all became worth it seven months later when they were in a meeting. Natasha ignored Tony mimicking her overblown belly, Clint was falling asleep, Bruce looked uncomfortable, Coulson and Hill had mysteriously vanished, and Steve and Fury were staring each other down.

"I gave an order, Captain. I expect you to follow it."

Steve's eyes narrowed, giving his forehead a little crease that Natasha was especially fond of. "Natasha is not going undercover in her condition, sir."

"If Agent Romanoff wants to request a leave of absence, then she can file the paperwork. But I don't remember ever seeing any."

"She's due any day now. She should be exempt on principle."

Bruce leaned over to Natasha. "Are you going to stop them?"

Natasha, who was having fun watching Steve and Fury knock heads, said, "It's good for them."

"Sir, I respectfully question your judgment on sending a pregnant woman into the field."

"And I not at all respectfully ask you if you want to be pulled off active duty and confined for insubordination."

"I'm not your lackey, sir."

But the argument was quickly boring Natasha. She shifted. And then she suddenly grabbed the edge of the table. Tony slipped, hands no longer hovering over his stomach, and nearly fell out of his chair from the sudden movement.

"Excuse me," she said, voice strained, "but there's a baby coming."

Steve and Fury looked horrified. Tony pushed his chair away far from her, and Clint and Bruce leapt to their feet.

"Are you okay, dear? What do you need? What can I do?" Steve rushed to her side and hovered over her, afraid to touch her.

Fury spoke into his microphone, his eye wide. "Code Beta-8, I repeat, Code Beta-8, this is not a drill, Coulson, get up here. That's an order!"

Natasha bent over, clutching her belly. "It's coming, sir, Steve."

"Hold on, Natasha!"

When they got to the hospital, with the Avengers, Fury, Coulson, and Hill all crowded into the little room with Natasha, she took pity on them and let them in on the joke.

"False alarm."

It was three more days and an extra attentive Steve before James Rogers-Romanoff arrived.


End file.
